


Unlikely Connections

by aria_dc_al_fine



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, College, Multi, Slow Build, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, This is as much about volleyball as it is romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5610472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aria_dc_al_fine/pseuds/aria_dc_al_fine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suga peered at the brunet the universe had dictated would share a strong connection with him in his life. Hard to believe as it was. He sucked in a deep breath, and raised his left hand to pull his hair back. “Oikawa-san,” Suga watched as keen brown eyes read the letters on his hairline, widening as what he was seeing dawned on him, “it turns out you’re my soulmate.”</p><p>Soulmate pairs that may be explored: Kuroo/Kenma (platonic), Kuroo/Daichi, Kuroo/Tsukishima, Kuroo/Bokuto (bro-hey, hey, hey, oho ho-mance), Tsukishima/Yamaguchi, Kageyama/Hinata</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And then my soul saw you and it kind of went, ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.'

**Author's Note:**

> My first chapter in 2016, woo-hoo! The idea has been in my head since I first watched Haikyuu last April/May (a senpai introduced it to me, and I've fallen for it since), but I have only started writing in December. 
> 
> I'm a sucker for soulmate fics that explore properly why a certain pair is good for each other, hence they are soulmate (and not just 'tadaa they are soulmate hence they love each other'). And my OTP OiSuga is such a rarepair (cries). Most Oisuga fanworks I have read had not dealt with 'why they're good for each other' very well - except perhaps the doujinka Bitter Happy End's works. There are some excellent works on OiSuga falling in love in AO3, though! Let me recall them and recommend you in the next chapter.
> 
> Anyways, I want to try writing this couple and explore why they are right for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is a quote by Iain Thomas, 'I wrote this for you'.
> 
> The quote was shared in pyrodynamo's KageHina 'you look like the rest of my life'. It's not soulmate AU but really sounds like one. And it's really very well written, too! Check it out!

“Refreshing-kun, give me your contacts.”

Suga nearly dropped the _Zunda_ shake he’d been slurping in shock. [1]

He’d been staring at the words making up that sentence in his mirror for seventeen years, whenever he washed his face and combed his hair. Tiny and lined at the very edge of his forehead. The reason Suga had never cut his fringe short or changed his parting.

(When Suga heard others compliment him as friendly, he only smiled and wondered if he had unconsciously molded himself to be someone others could call, ‘Refreshing-kun’.)

The silver-haired teen turned, and nearly doubled over.

“The Grand King,” the nickname Hinata had given the aggressive, charming, hardworking setter of Aoba Johsai slipped out before he could stop it. Suga covered his mouth. He was not the type to call acquaintances by nicknames, especially nicknames decided one-sidedly. “Ah, sorry, I mean, I didn’t expect to see you here, Oikawa-san.” Suga hid behind empty pleasantries as his mind whirled a mile a minute.

_‘You mean, Oikawa is my soulmate? Why? How is it possible the universe thinks we are compatible?’_

The brunet twitched so infinitesimally Suga might have imagined it, before Oikawa shrugged and extended his phone. “Same here,” he grinned, though it did not reach his eyes.

Suga suppressed the urge to shudder at the cold expression.

For a few seconds, Oikawa’s hand remained between them, the mobile dangling from it demanding his attention.

“I don’t think you’d be interested in me,” Suga probed, his smile unwavering.

Oikawa tilted his head. “You’re plenty _interesting_ , Refreshing-kun.” His tone was neither sarcastic nor sincere. It did not disclose anything.

Suga sighed inwardly, before he took the phone and keyed in his number and mail address. Under the ‘name’ field, Suga hesitated, before he thought, ‘screw it,’ and typed ‘Sugawara (Karasuno’s Refreshing-kun)’.

Oikawa’s amusement as he read the saved contact profile was more genuine, this time. “I remember your name without your having to tell me, Suga-chan,” he said teasingly as he gave Suga a missed call.

To verify that he didn’t receive a fake number? Isn’t it distrustful?

“Well, then Suga-chan, you’ll hear from me soon,” Oikawa winked and waved.

As he turned around, Suga made a split-second decision. “Wait!”

Oikawa stopped, but his surprised gaze was directed at his hand, not at Suga’s face. Karasuno’s vice-captain looked down, and his face burned when he realized he’d fastened his fingers around the taller setter’s wrist, digging into flesh.

“I’m sorry-” Suga recoiled, aghast.

Oikawa was staring at him more seriously now. “…What do you want to tell me?” His voice was quieter. Less flashy.

Suga peered at the brunet the universe had dictated would share a strong connection with him in his life. Hard to believe as it was. He sucked in a deep breath, and raised his left hand to pull his hair back. “Oikawa-san,” Suga watched as keen brown eyes read the letters on his hairline, widening as what he was seeing dawned on him, “it turns out you’re my soulmate.”

* * *

As man interacts with one another, connections are formed.

And man, being a social creature, cannot avoid depending on another for survival.

Hence, it is not strange for a person to have multiple soul marks on his skin. A friend who understands you without words needing to be spoken, a lover you commit to spend the rest of your life with, brothers and sisters who do not need to be related to you by blood. All of them people you would die for, people whose happiness you place above your own. Those marks connect you to them.

And soul marks come in many shapes and forms. The easiest, though also rarest, are names – not official names, but intimate nicknames, the names you refer to the other end of your connection in your head. The vaguest are symbols – what they represent to you, what their lifelong passion – which would either connect you or attract you to them – are. Then, there are the first words you speak to each other. The two ends always have the same type of soul marks.

Oikawa Tooru was born with two.

It was purely luck that one of them was, ‘Iwa-chan,’ seared on the inside of his right forearm (the hand he served volleyball with). Because Oikawa was pretty sure the first words they spoke to each other were gibberish baby babbles. Yes, they’d known each other that long.

(And of course, Iwa-chan had the corresponding, ‘Tooru Troublesome-kawa,’ on his knee. Oikawa tried not to be offended.)

The other one…Oikawa wasn’t sure if it was first words or another name-type soul mark.

It said, ‘the Grand King,’ under his left collarbone, on his upper torso.

(Above his heart.)

On one hand, Oikawa wasn’t that arrogant enough to think that he would be so good at something to deserve a stranger calling him ‘the Grand King,’…but Oikawa also couldn’t think of himself ever referring to another as ‘the Grand King,’ like he was worshipping the ground his soulmate walked on. That didn’t sound healthy.

May be someone would call him ‘the Grand King’ as a joke. Oikawa would know when the time comes. He wasn’t that concerned.

After all, Iwa-chan was enough.

Iwa-chan was the world to him. Oikawa couldn’t fathom how his heart could have space for another person when volleyball and Iwa-chan filled so much of it already.

Oikawa kissed Iwa-chan in their third year of middle-school. The setter had been feeling high after receiving the best setter of the prefecture award, despite having lost to Shiratorizawa (again. That bastard). As they walked home after the post-match celebration-cum-consolation dinner, when Iwa-chan peered at Oikawa after messing his hair and whispered, “Congratulations,” with a damn proud grin on his face, Oikawa couldn’t help it.

They had been dating since.

Every day had been a bliss. With Iwa-chan, and with volleyball. Of course, it sucked to keep losing to Shiratorizawa, but third year was going to be so exciting, because he’d finally get to compete against Tobio-chan, and there were under-21 teams tryouts to participate in-

“I’m aiming for Tohoku University.”

“Eh?” Oikawa missed a step, and would have fallen flat on his face if not for the strong fingers curled around his forearm, pulling him back to a sturdy chest.

“Idiot,” Iwa-chan grunted as Oikawa’s weight knocked the air off his lungs, “Watch where you’re walking-”

“W-what do you mean, you’re not planning to go to Tokyo!?” ( _with me?_ ) Oikawa extracted himself before he could melt in his soulmate’s embrace. “Have you met…your other soul mark-”

“No!” Iwa-chan was quick to rebut.

Oikawa searched his boyfriend’s face. He didn’t think Iwa-chan was lying. “…then, why?”

Iwa-chan scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. But not for long. When that strong gaze returned to him, it was full of conviction. “You’re probably targeting to be scouted by the likes of Nippon Sport Science University, Tokai or Chuo [2]…but you do know that I don’t intend to be a professional volleyball player, right?”

It took Oikawa everything not to take a step back. “W-why, Iwa-chan? You’re an excellent spiker~” he started with a light tone and reached out to pat his shoulder, “You're our Ace! What’s brought about this lack of confidence so early in the year-”

Iwa-chan intercepted Oikawa’s hand. “I know I’m a good spiker; I'm a starter at Seijou, stupid-kawa. And I intend to give my best at this year’s Interhigh and Haru-kou, too,” the stern-faced boy – no, young man – did not release his hand, though, and Oikawa clung to that reassurance. “But they’re all high-school level. I know I have no chance at professional level volleyball, and to be frank, my dream…is not in that direction.”

Here it came…the revelation Oikawa had fervently hoped Iwa-chan would _never_ stumble upon. The fact that even though yes, he was serious about volleyball, he wasn’t obsessed in it like Oikawa was. Or Tobio-chan and Ushiwaka were.

Still, Oikawa didn’t give up. “Okay, I understand you chose Tohoku-U because it’s quite high in the rankings…but Todai [3] is even higher, right? You should still go to Tokyo-”

“My parents could do without the additional rent,” ever the practical, his Iwa-chan.

Oikawa looked down at the pavement, on the sakura petals scattered on the road. It was spring. The start of a new, wonderful, promising academic year. The start of his countdown, too, it seemed. His eyes stung sharply, but he refused to cry, to guilt Iwa-chan-

Familiar strong arms enveloped him in warmth. “…Hey,” soft breath was whispered against his skin, as Iwa-chan carded his fingers through the brown curls, the touch soothing to Oikawa’s scalp. “Our dreams may not be the same, but our lives are connected. And our connection is too deep to be broken. You know that, don’t you, Mendou-kawa?”

Oikawa clenched his eyes shut, and pressed his forehead against the curve of Iwa-chan’s collarbone. Their bodies molded together effortlessly, proof that they belonged together. “You’re saddled with me for life, Iwa-chan.”

There was a smile in Iwa-chan’s huff. Oikawa could hear it. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

TBC

Review please!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Zunda is a paste made of edamame (soybeans) which is lightly sweetened. It's a regional specialty of Miyagi/Tohoku area. I got introduced to it when I was lucky to watch Haikyuu live stage in Miyagi last December 2015. The twitter of the cast showed the actors for Hinata, Daichi and Tsukishima enjoying the Zunda-shake they bought in Sendai haha.
> 
> 2\. Those colleges are winners of Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship (Men) over the last decade or so.
> 
> 3\. Todai is short for Tokyo University (Tokyo Daigaku).


	2. Honesty is an expensive gift

“Miyagi Spring Tournament Prefectural Representative playoffs final?”

Kuroo leaned forward on the chair he’d straddled. “Yes, Haruno-senpai.”

The bespectacled woman shot him a dirty look before she flipped through her diary, a.k.a. the sacred bible (named by yours truly). For if any of the rival universities’ volleyball clubs ever managed to steal it, they would be finished. 

“We’re not considering Ushijima Wakatoshi. His strengths are incompatible with our Hayama, Kodama and Takahashi. Oikawa Tooru had accepted our offer. There’s nobody else who is noteworthy from Aoba Johsai,” Haruno remarked as she closed the book, the clap of the pages meeting each other sounding final. [1]

Two legs of his chair were lifted off the floor as Kuroo pushed his chances. “Shiratorizawa's opponent this year was Karasuno, though. Who won, and went on to the Nationals.”

Haruno narrowed her eyes at him. And sighed when Kuroo had so obviously ignored her non-verbal order to sit properly. “If you are talking about Karasuno’s Libero, Nishinoya Yuu, or their setter, Kageyama Tobio, they’re not in final year yet-”

Kuroo shook his head. “Isn’t it too soon to dismiss Karasuno’s third years?”

Kuroo nearly fell when the chair skidded below him, four legs planted on the ground. All 167cm of Haruno-senpai was towering over him, one hand firmly holding the back of the plastic seat in place.

“Azumane Asahi is nowhere near our first string benchers, and your receiving ability is on par with Sawamura Daichi’s. What have I missed?” Tsukuba University’s VBC manager’s glare could reduce a man to ashes.

But not Kuroo Tetsurou. “Did you leave Suga out because he’s a second stringer?”

“Sugawara Koushi?” Haruno-senpai blinked. Kuroo had to admit, it was impressive of her to have remembered so many names of high school volleyball players. “He hadn’t appeared in a lot of matches. I don’t think he had even played a full set this year. Are you saying…”

Kuroo nodded. “He may be just the person you’re looking for.”

* * *

“Hey, you, the Grand King!”

For a moment, Oikawa couldn't breathe.

“Aim at me. I’ll receive it! Aim at me!!”

_My other soulmate is…the Shrimpy!?_

That…came out of the blue. But it was logical that all of Oikawa’s soulmates played volleyball, and from the looks of it, Shrimpy’s passion for volleyball outweighed Iwa-chan’s.

 _No…no, no, no!_ Oikawa didn’t want to think it that way! Nobody could replace Iwa-chan, even if Iwa-chan wouldn't play volleyball regularly anymore-

“All right, bring it on!” Karasuno’s Captain, Sawamura, raised his voice, and all thoughts of soulmates fled Oikawa’s mind. Analyzing the game became priority.

Later, as Oikawa confronted the crows at the gates, he made sure to address the Shrimpy specifically. “You, little one,” he grinned at the tiny redhead, “Your last one-touch and broad attack were amazing.”

There was no recognition in the Shrimpy’s face; he was just busy blushing at Oikawa’s thoughtless compliment.

 _It’s not him? Well, whatever…_ Oikawa went on to deliver the message he really wanted to say.

“We’ll practice!”

“…Receives don’t improve overnight,” Oikawa turned to sneer, then he saw the redhead’s face. He sighed. “Chibi-chan, do you have my first words to you written on your skin?” The setter asked directly. He just had to make sure.

“Huh!?” Round brown eyes widened, before the little one quickly inched away from Oikawa. Like the older teen was a pedophile after his body. _As if_ , Oikawa sniggered inwardly. His type were the pretty ones. And Iwa-chan, of course. “W-what a-are you talking a-about? My soul mark is the symbol type!” [2]

At that declaration, Tobio-chan’s eyes widened.

Oikawa had noticed it. And, judging from the look on the face of the silver-haired bencher standing close to Oikawa, he’d seen it too.

 _Ah…how annoying_. He ended up playing Cupid for Tobio-chan and the Shrimpy. May be that second soul mark was defective. Suited his purpose. Volleyball and Iwa-chan were enough. “Anyways, there’s not much time until the tournament. I look forward to seeing you there,” he walked away with the last say. Perfect.

Fast forward many months, and here Oikawa was, sitting across Refreshing-kun in a nondescript café at Aoba-Dori.

“How are you doing, these days?” Refreshing-kun kept up the smile.

Oikawa returned it easily. This was their bread and butter, the façade of cheerfulness. “Oh, I’m fine. Preparing for a move.” He returned the ball to the other setter’s court. [3] No point being difficult when they had their whole lives ahead of them.

Besides, he was curious. Fate hadn’t been wrong when they stamped Iwa-chan on him.

“Oh?” Suga-chan put down his cup. “You’ve passed your exams? That’s fast. May I ask where to?”

Oikawa waved his hand flippantly. “I was scouted. Tsukuba University,” he reached for his own cocoa and leaned back.

The compliment came as expected. “Oh, wow. Of course you would,” Refreshing-kun appeared genuinely happy for him. “Two of Tsukuba University’s VBC members are part of Japan National Men Volleyball’s team, right? That’s impressive.”

“Thank you,” Oikawa hoped he had accepted the praise with grace. “How about you? Which university are you aiming for?”

At one glance, it seemed like a normal conversation between friends, one Oikawa had had with Makki and Mattsun and Refreshing-kun might have had with the Captain and #3. Yet, they both knew they were assessing how their futures would fit together.

“I applied for some public-u in Tokyo,” Refreshing-kun put his hands on his lap, away from Oikawa’s line of sight. Presumably so he wouldn’t see the other teen fidget. “But the one I hope to get in the most…is Tohoku University. It is near, after all.”

Oikawa couldn’t stop himself from freezing for a couple of seconds. “You’re right,” he’d pasted his usual smile when he looked up, but of course Refreshing-kun had noticed something was amiss. Perceptive little bastard. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Refreshing-kun laughed politely. “How can you be sure? You don’t know my grades.”

Oh, my. Trust Suga-chan to be the first to call on the bluff and basically screamed, ‘we know nothing about each other outside the court.’

Still, Oikawa avoided the bait. “You look like the studious type.”

Refreshing-kun looked amused. “Am I?”

_Yes, and you look like the type who hates to disappoint others, too._

Oikawa replied with another smile. Suddenly, he felt overcame with tiredness. He didn’t want to be reminded that he would be away from Iwa-chan for the next four years ( _probably more…_ but Oikawa refused to think that). “Am I not taking up your precious exam preparation time?”

Refreshing-kun appeared surprised by the dismissal. The mood had not been that bad, after all. “I can spare some. I’m on-track, Oikawa-san-”

“Look,” Oikawa interrupted. “We’ll take this slowly, right? There is no rush.” He signaled a passing waitress to give them the bill.

Suga-chan stood up as he did. “Oikawa-san,” there was confusion in his voice. And concern.

Refreshing-kun was basically a stranger. Yet he could pick up Oikawa’s anxiety. This was bad.

“Good luck, Suga-chan,” Oikawa escaped before he could expose more of himself under the silver-haired setter’s dissecting gaze. “See you after you’re done with the exams, all right?”

He walked away without looking back.

* * *

Suga sighed as he reached home. “I’m back!” He hollered at the entrance.

He didn't know why he was disappointed. Kageyama had said so himself, that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were 'A-Un no Kokyuu' 阿吽の呼吸 - the beginning and the end, linked physically and mentally, so close they could communicate without speech. They were obviously soulmates. There was no way Suga could get in between them.

But it was not like Oikawa could replace Daichi, either. The earth of the tree on his left ankle. 

The exact same symbol was etched on Daichi's right ankle. It was extremely rare for two soulmates sharing a symbol-type mark to both have the same symbol on their skin, almost unheard of. At first, Daichi and Suga thought this was a sign they were meant to be the closest any two people could be, and they loved each other very much, but...something was missing.

Then third year came along. The year they finally understood the meaning behind their mark.

(Also, Kuroo came along.)

"Welcome home, Koushi," Mom's greeting pulled Suga out of his musing. "Someone called you when you were away." She passed him a post-it note.

Suga didn't recognise the number. Still, may be one of the universities had contacted him. "I'll call him back straight away."

"Her," Mom corrected. "Sounded serious. May be something. Good luck!" She returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

Suga placed his bag on the floor before making himself comfortable next to his phone.

" _Haruno Yuri speaking,"_   the call was answered on the second ring.

"Ah, good afternoon. This is Sugawara Koushi. I believe I received a call from you..." Suga twirled the cable of his phone around his finger.

" _Thank you, Sugawara-kun._ " The woman had a no-nonsense tone. " _This is Tsukuba University Volleyball Club's Manager, Haruno. You were recently Karasuno's number 2, playing the position of a setter, correct?"_  

Suga blinked. "Yes..." He replied cautiously. He couldn't have been scouted by a consistent best eight in Japan's Intercollegiate Men's Volleyball Championship, right?

Besides, didn't Tsukuba University have Oikawa already?

" _Sugawara-kun, you are probably aware that you have not played in enough matches for us to offer you a sports scholarship. However, Kuroo-kun and Bokuto-kun have put in a good word for you, so I hope you would consider taking our examinations. If you pass our try-out, we promise we can work something out, like a waiver or discounts for your admission fee..."_

* * *

"Ibaraki? That's a little far, isn't it?"

Kuroo shrugged at his dad.

"Honey, it's only fifty minutes by train," Kuroo's mother cajoled her husband.

The old man didn't look convinced. "You'll have to rent a room for yourself, too...why don't you just apply for a university in Tokyo?"

"I am applying," Kuroo remarked nonchalantly.

"Tetsurou! Show more spirit, won't you!?" Mom glared at him. "I thought you love volleyball!"

Kuroo shrugged again.

Mom turned her attention to dad one more time. "Honey, let's be realistic. Tsukuba University is amongst the top ten in the country. Our Tetsurou is not bad at studying, but he isn't that good either. When else a chance this good is going to come by?"

Kuroo sighed and left the room before the couple argued again.

In the end, it was Kenma who made the decision.

"Kuroo," they were sitting together on the train, the four o'clock Toei Asakusa line relatively empty before the salary men crowd turned the carriage to a can of sardines. Kenma's eyes were glued on his Nintendo screen, as Kuroo dozed off on his shoulder. There was nothing extraordinary about the scene.

"Hnn?" The tall middle-blocker responded noncommittally.

Kenma was quiet as he rubbed the mark on the inside of his left wrist, the movement so deliberate the back of Kuroo's neck tingled. "If you don't go because of me, _I will cut all ties with you_." His voice was cold.

Kuroo stopped dead.

"All right," he exhaled. 

( _It was always Kenma._ )

TBC

Review please!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Haruno’s skill is based on KNB Momoi’s  
> 2\. A reference to The Crown and The Crow, and very famous and well-written KageHina soulmates and soulmarks AU. http://archiveofourown.org/works/1828311
> 
> 3\. Using volleyball references to describe a conversation is a concept borrowed from a fantastic, OiSuga character-exploration fic I just discovered yesterday: 'The Strength in Vulnerability', by AngryKitten. It is SO SO VERY WELL-WRITTEN! Please check it out! http://archiveofourown.org/works/5505950


	3. Sometimes, the person you really need is the one you didn't think you wanted.

Toss. Jump. Swing.

The ball shot through the air like a familiar canon, landing on the inside of the left corner of the opponent’s side of the court.

His control and power remained perfect.

Toss. Jump. Swing.

This time, the ball hit the right side of the court, barely an inch from the white line.

Toss. Jump-

“TRASH-KAWA!”

The roar gave Oikawa a scare. He missed the ball, and would have landed wrong on his knees, if not for the ball aimed at his flank, causing him to fall sideways.

“Ouch!” Oikawa pouted at his visitor. “Iwa-chan, that’s mean!”

The spiky-haired teen had a dark look on his face. “You idiot! Just because you don’t have to study for entrance exams anymore, doesn’t mean you can spend all your time on the court!!” He yelled as he pulled his childhood friend to his feet.

“Hahaha,” Oikawa laughed sheepishly. “You got me there!” he tee-heed Iwa-chan.

The former Ace was, expectedly, not amused. “Stop showing me that annoying expression!”

Oikawa crossed his arms in front of his face. “Mean!”

For a moment, silence dawned upon the gym. It was late enough nobody was hanging around school anymore.

“Hey,” Iwa-chan’s voice was soft. As it usually was, when he was serious. “What’s happened?”

Oikawa’s heart lurched to his throat. “Hmm? What are you talking about, Iwa-chan?” He played dumb.

The shorter teen didn’t budge. “You always feel the urge to hit 50 jump serves when something’s bugging you.”

Oikawa cringed inwardly. Iwa-chan knew him too well. Outwardly, he only laughed offhandedly. “Have you been studying too much you’re imagining things?” As he bent down to pick up a ball from the floor, his left hand unconsciously rubbed the patch of skin above his heart. The site of the unwanted words.

Iwa-chan didn’t miss that, either.

“You found the other end of your second mark, didn’t you?”

Oikawa straightened up so fast he felt a little dizzy. “Iwa-chan,” he began warningly.

Iwaizumi Hajime wasn’t Oikawa’s soulmate for naught. He didn’t let himself be bowled over.

“Tooru,” it took him only two words. “Please.”

(Oikawa could never deny his Iwa-chan anything.)

* * *

“They don’t sound like high schoolers…”

Tsukishima stopped dead. He knew how that sentence would continue before Nekoma’s Captain finished speaking.

_But you, on the other hand, should go a little crazy, like a high schooler._

Thanks to that sentence written on his right ribcage, Tsukishima had always known he would meet one of his soulmates in high school.

He’d been on edge since he stepped foot on Karasuno, observing his classmates, seniors and volleyball club members with discerning eyes. Within the first few days of meeting Hinata and Kageyama, Tsukishima was able to deduce that somehow, the ‘they’ that began the sentence would involve one or both of them.

‘The freak combo replaces verbs and nouns with gibberish onomatopoeia, after all,’ he’d snorted inwardly.

At first, Tsukishima thought his second soulmate would be Sawamura or Sugawara; they were the ones most likely to make that kind of nonchalant commentary on Hinata and Kageyama, and close enough to Tsukishima to say it to him (as opposed to Narita, Ennoshita and Kinoshita). But after a few weeks of changing together in the club room, Tsukishima noted that Sawamura’s soul marks were all symbol-type: a black cat on his lower back, and a tree on his ankle, the latter he shared with Sugawara. And the tall middle-blocker didn’t see any other marks on Sugawara’s person.

Tsukishima gave up. He had analysed and re-analysed to the point of over-analysing. He would know when he met them.

Like when he met Yamaguchi.

Fast forward to this moment. Tsukishima could feel Nekoma’s Captain’s stare boring a hole on the back of his head, anticipating an answer. The blonde quickly thought of a generic remark to throw him off, hoping the spiky-haired middle-blocker couldn’t pinpoint his soul mark to him. “I’m not good at that sort of thing,” he left as soon as he said his piece.

In the ride back to Karasuno, Yamaguchi kept staring at Tsukishima.

The bespectacled teen couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “What is it?” _He couldn’t have heard his fleeting conversation with Nekoma’s Captain, could he?_

Normally, at the first sign of Tsukishima’s disdain, Yamaguchi would have chuckled nervously, scratched the back of his head and replied, endearingly, “Gomen, Tsukki.”

But this time, those observant eyes didn’t leave him. “Something has rattled you,” Yamaguchi stated frankly, like it was plain truth, “You look pale.”

Tsukishima thought of the huge hiragana emblazoned across his best friend’s torso, ‘ _Tsukki,’_ and the small kanji ‘ _Yamaguchi,_ ’ on his back, just above his left shoulder blade. The relative difference in size. Yamaguchi's constant companionship, no matter how flippant or unappreciative Tsukishima had been.

Tsukishima threw his gaze to the sunset over the window. “Anyone would, after playing six grueling sets straight since morning,” He grumbled, his fingers itching for his headphone.

But shutting Yamaguchi out (again) would be rude. So he wouldn’t.

“Hmm,” the freckled first-year, thankfully, left him alone.

Tsukishima clenched his fists.

( _What have I done to deserve you?_ )

* * *

“He’s so huge,” Suga heard an applicant comment behind him, and he agreed.

The young man standing before them wasn’t _that_ tall – not even 1.9m, Suga guessed – but there was something about his presence, the width of his shoulders, the length of his arms, the grim lines of his face. And he was so quiet.

“Hayama Chihiro,” he introduced himself calmly, “Wing-Spiker. Captain of the team. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you!” The crowd returned in harmony.

There was silence for two seconds, until one of the four young women standing next to Hayama coughed. The shortest one in bright pink jersey, her caramel hair highlighted in gold, grinned and waved. “I’m Miki, Assistant Coach! Looking forward to working with you!”

“ _Onegai shimasu_!” the crowd repeated to her.

The bespectacled one with an intense expression on her face stepped forward, and the moment she spoke, Suga knew who she was. He remembered her voice. “Thank you, Kagome-san. I shall introduce our first stringers to you. First, our Wing-Spikers: Akiyama, Inoue, Kobayashi and Bokuto. Our Middle-Blockers: Nakahara, Oshiro and Kuroo, and our Liberos: Suzuki and Sato. Lastly, our Setter, Oikawa. Takahashi, Kodama and Director Honda cannot join us today; I am expressing their apologies on their behalf.”

As expected, Oikawa smiled charmingly at the crowd, though he seemed to be keeping his ‘sparkles’ to the minimum. They would only annoy guys, after all.

“I’m Haruno Yuri, a manager of the team. I’m in charge of arranging practice matches, amongst other things. Nice to meet you,” Haruno bowed before stepping back into the line.

“I heard she’s a powerful one,” another applicant whispered and pointed at Haruno, as two other managers introduced themselves. “Rumour has it the Director trusts her on matters like scouting scholars and selecting starters for practice matches and even official ones!”

“Wow, really?”

Haruno coughed again. “About the tryout,” she raised her voice, and the murmurs disappeared immediately, “of course, we will be looking at your success rates for receives, spikes and blocks. Other than that, we will be dividing you into teams. This Saturday, you will be playing against each other, as well as our first string!”

Suga blinked.

The crowd, too, gaped.

Then, the gymnasium was filled with outraged exclamations. “Huh?”

“How do you expect us to win!?”

“Isn’t it unfair?”

Haruno clapped her hands. “Everyone!”

Like an army obeying their General, everyone shut his mouth immediately.

“I assure you, we will not be looking just at the scores, or whether your team wins or not. Volleyball is a team sports,” Haruno’s gaze, her tone, her poise, everything about her radiated seriousness. “For sure, how your individual strength will enhance the team matters more!”

Suga looked around at the hopeful, determined faces. It was an interesting new experience; his middle school, Uwamushi, wasn’t a powerhouse. Karasuno was, but the club never had more than twelve, thirteen members when Suga was there. Being in a VBC three times that size and having multiple coaches and managers…

It was exciting. As an alumnus of Karasuno, Suga would try his best to enter first string.

“Okay, your teams are listed on the paper distributed to you. Please take the time to know each other, and prepare yourselves for the matches on Saturday…” Suga was scanning the roster for familiar names when he felt a prick at the back of his neck. He looked up, and froze.

Oikawa was staring right at him.

TBC

Review please! This has been a difficult story to write, and I'm scared I have been boring you...


	4. If I had my life to live again, I’d find you sooner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is a quote by Kobi Yamada

When Suga was on the Tsukuba express, he got a call from another unknown number.

‘… _Could it be…Oikawa?_ ’ His heart unexpectedly began to beat faster. From anticipation, or anxiety, he didn’t know. Suga didn’t have time to analyse it; he had to pick up the call before it ended.

Suga took a quick, sharp breath. “Hello?”

“… _Sugawara-san?_ ” the voice originating from the receiver was familiar…but Suga couldn’t put a name to it. “Yes, speaking,” he replied, nevertheless.

He wasn’t left wondering for long. “ _This is Iwaizumi. From Aoba Johsai._ ”

“Oh,” Suga could only say as his mind spun through possible reasons why on earth Iwaizumi Hajime could be contacting him. There was no doubt that it would involve Oikawa. But what would the _tone_ be? A challenge? A threat? _Take care of my soulmate, or else? You are not good enough for him?_

“ _I asked Kageyama for your number,”_ Iwaizumi continued, seemingly rambling, until an exclamation of surprise left his mouth. “ _Ah, don’t worry, he doesn’t know. I only told him Oikawa offended you and I need to apologize on his behalf-_ ”

“Hello, Iwaizumi-san,” Suga interrupted the other young man before it could turn awkward. “What can I do for you?” he asked casually, with a smile on his face, the kind meant to put the other party at ease. He was sure that it was carried in his voice.

Iwaizumi cleared his throat. For a moment, silence descended upon them, the spiker’s breathing loud in Suga’s ears.

Then. “ _Are you free later today? Could we meet somewhere? There’s something I want to talk to you about._ ”

Suga couldn’t help but wince. “I’m sorry, I’m in Tokyo area right now. Is next week all right?” He was really sorry he couldn’t make it, since it seemed to have taken Iwaizumi much courage to invite him.

“ _…For entrance exams? I see.”_ There was a question there, one completely different than what was spoken. Had Oikawa told Iwaizumi about his so-called preference for Tohoku-U? “ _Sure, next week is fine. Good luck, Sugawara-san.”_

“Likewise, Iwaizumi-san. I’m sorry, once again.” With that, the call ended.

Suga was glad the call happened _after_ he completed Tsukuba’s papers, because they sure weren’t a piece of cake. He would have failed if he'd been as distracted as he was.

“Oh, that’s Suga!” Bokuto waved enthusiastically from outside the gantry the moment the silver-haired setter’s eyes met his. “Hey, hey! We’re here!!”

“Bokuto-san, you’re too loud. It’s embarrassing,” Akaashi sighed from next to the spiker.

“Yo!” Kuroo grinned at him as Suga approached the gang. Kozume stood quietly next to his tall childhood friend, eyes straying from his PSP for a second as the blonde sent Suga a nod. “How was it?”

Suga exhaled before he chuckled nervously. “I tried my best.”

“I know right,” Kuroo laughed, “I’m so glad I got scouted. There’s no way I can pass Tsukuba’s general admission exams!”

“Hey, hey, when does your overnight bus depart?” [1] Bokuto asked as they started to make their way out of the station. “Anywhere you want to go?” He was brimming with so much energy it made Suga a little tired to watch him.

“Hmm…let’s see…”

Hours later, Suga and Kuroo found themselves seated at a McD in Shinjuku, waiting as Bokuto and Akaashi helped them buy their food. Kozume had long reached his social quota and gone home. There was a companionable silence between them, Suga comfortable despite the lack of words. May be because Kuroo had perfected this art, hanging around Kozume as much as he was.

“Thank you for putting a good word to Haruno-san,” Suga suddenly remembered.

“It’s nothing. You still have to take the exams, after all,” Kuroo shook his head. “But she called you?”

“Yes,” Suga fiddled with his fingers, crossing and uncrossing them.

“What an intense person, right?” Kuroo leaned forward excitedly, appearing really interested. “Did she, like, interview you? And insisted it was a chat?”

“You know without my having to tell you,” Suga replied, dead-panned.

The Tokyo-born laughed. “Seriously, she’s an informatics student, but the way she probes so deeply with her questions, you’d think she’d be a good psychologist, right? Or detective? It’s so damn scary!”

Suga smiled wanly. It was indeed a hard interview. She was politely unrelenting, like Shimizu, but with a layer of steel and ambition Karasuno’s manager didn’t possess. She didn’t accept any empty, socially acceptable answers, and pursued genuine responses like a dog with a bone.

“Sooo,” Kuroo tilted his head. Like this, he really looked like a cat, the cat on Daichi’s back. “Will I see you around campus in April?”

“I may not pass-” Suga started.

Kuroo only snorted. “Please, I know you’re smart.”

Suga smiled sheepishly. “It depends.”

Kuroo placed his chin on his hand, and watched him with those keen amber eyes. That gaze was always unnerving, in or outside the court. He might not be asking Suga outright, but the query was there, and the determination to find the truth.

Why was he so concerned about Suga? Did Daichi tell him to…?

“I’ve started practicing with the regulars at Tsukuba,” Kuroo remarked. “Not frequently, because of the distance, and I still need to pass high school final exams, but, you know.” He waved dismissively. They were more or less formality at this point in time, for Kuroo. “In any case, for the scholarship, I had to play with them, to prove my compatibility with them.”

It sounded, for all intents and purposes, like a non-sequitur. But Suga had the feeling it wasn’t. “How was it?” he played along, for now.

“They’re good, of course,” Kuroo carded his hand through his hair. “I played with that setter from your region. The one whose nasty jump serve doesn’t suit his pretty face.”

Suga’s heart lurched in his chest. “Oikawa?”

“Yes, that one,” Kuroo leaned back on his seat. “One would think a setter whose personality was the opposite of Akaashi’s would not be able to handle Bokuto. But Haruno’s judgment is terrifyingly accurate,” His lips spread outward slowly, the glint in his eyes…predatory. It was the first time Suga had seen that expression on him. “I can’t wait to play with this team in official matches.”

Suga shuddered inwardly.

“Suga-kun, where do you see volleyball in your future?” So finally, they arrived at the main topic, the most important question. “Do you want to just play recreationally, and focus on your career and life goals? Or do you still want to play competitively?”

“I…” Suga frowned. He’d faced this choice once, just after inter-high. Then, he’d told his counselor boldly, “ _Teacher, I’m not playing volleyball for merit._ ”

What would he say this time? “I…!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto came crashing in, his tray filled with burgers and fries. “One Fillet-O-Fish meal and one Quarter Pounder meal, at your disposal!”

“Bokuto-san, you are spilling the fries onto the floor.”

“Ack, nooo!”

With the hurricane that was Bokuto among them, and Suga’s bus departure scheduled only an hour away, he thought that was that.

But, before they parted, Kuroo slung an arm around his shoulders, and whispered. “If you still want to play in matches, give Tsukuba a try.”

“Trust in your strength.”

* * *

“All right!” Mika clapped her hands and grinned at the boys standing in lines in front of her. “Now that we’ve gotten acquainted, I need you to strip!”

Another few seconds of stunned silence passed.

Then, an explosion.

“Hah!?”

“What’s this? Sexual harassment??”

Hayama took off his shirt obediently, and so did the other seniors. Kuroo, Bokuto and Oikawa, too, took off their shirts without much fanfare, like they had done this before.

“Ooh, Chihiro, nice biceps! You’ve been following my menu with discipline, haven’t you?” Mika remarked delightfully as she passed by the Captain, who only nodded calmly in the face of her unsettling gusto and scrutiny. “Kay! I’ll one up your menu to improve the flexibility of your shoulders next! What do you think?”

“Please,” he bowed his head.

“Aah, Bokuto, you’ve been overdoing spiking practice again, haven’t you? I told you, you need to strengthen your legs!”

“Her last name…is Kagome, isn’t it?” Suga overheard another comment as the applicants watched Mika lecturing Bokuto. “Could it be…her father is the famous personal trainer Kagome Akira?”

“So she could review our athletic potential just by looking at our muscles?” [2]

Why some were busy gaping at the eccentric assistant coach, others were checking out the first stringers. “Look at that guy with black spiky hair! He has…four soul marks!”

“What the-!”

Suga followed their line of sight, and his eyes landed on Kuroo. It was the first time Suga saw him shirtless, and indeed, he had four marks: tiny words at his nape, large words at his flank that read, ‘Hey, hey, hey, Neko’s tall middle-blocker! You’re good! Practice with me!’ (which couldn’t have belonged to anyone but Bokuto, who had ‘Oho ho, you’re good too, owlish spiker, but no thanks, I’m tired,’ written on his skin), the symbol of a house at his lower back (the same place as Daichi’s) and words on his ribs, which Suga could barely read, ‘I’m not good at that sort of thing.’

“Whoa, so many!”

“With that kind of wild looks and ‘bad guy’ grin, he must be a player! Girls fall for those!”

“I pity his soulmates, really!”

Suga felt irritation crawling under his skin. His brows furrowed as he glared daggers at the strangers, already hoping he wouldn’t be in their team. He looked in their direction and opened his mouth. “I don’t think it’s fair-”

“What’s this, gossips on Kuroo-kun?” A very familiar voice entered Suga’s ear and an arm was looped casually around his shoulder, “How can the guy who’s so devoted to his long-distance boyfriend, childhood friend and volleyball bud have a better reputation as a player than me?”

Suga saw the strangers going pale as they saw the man who’d joined them. He felt very much the same. “Ah, so-sorry Oikawa-san, we didn’t mean-”

“You better not have,” the official setter’s voice was lower by an octave.

As the people who badmouthed Kuroo fled, Oikawa brought his face closer to Suga’s ear. “Fancy seeing you here, Refreshing-kun.”

Suga froze. His whole body felt like it had been petrified. _I didn’t do anything wrong_ , he convinced himself, before he managed to turn and beam at his soulmate. “Long time no see, Oikawa-san.”

Let the match begin.

* * *

_“I’m sorry for intruding,” Iwaizumi said as Suga brought him into his room. “I don’t think any public places are suitable for what I want to tell you, and…my house is too close to Oikawa’s.”_

_Suga refrained from raising his eyebrow. ‘So…Oikawa doesn’t know…?’ he thought as he put down his bag on the floor. “It’s fine,” he smiled at the taller man, “shall I bring tea-”_

_“No,” Iwaizumi cut in, rather abruptly. “I…it’s all right.”_

_Suga blinked. “Okay,” he sat down on his bed, and gestured at the chair in front of his desk. “Please.”_

_Iwaizumi took his seat, moving stiffly like he barely had any joints. His shoulders were hunched so close together. “Thanks.”_

_Nothing was said for around two minutes. Suga tried not to stare at the gruff former ace of Aoba Johsai while he arranged the words in his head. Suga understood that this conversation will not be an easy one._

_“…I’m glad it’s you, Sugawara-san,” Iwaizumi finally began._

_Suga clenched his bedsheets. “Iwaizumi-san?”_

_“We don’t know each other very much, of course, but from what I’ve seen…I know that you are one of the main pillars supporting Karasuno, despite not being a starter. Your help and advices have meant a lot to Kageyama, and your number 10. You have a big heart. I know you’ll be able to support Oikawa, too-”_

_Suga was bewildered. Somehow, the dialogue had taken a turn into the twilight zone, and he could make neither head nor tails of it. Besides, Iwaizumi had the unhealthy impression that he was a saint. It was absurd._

_“Wait, wait, Iwaizumi-san,” Suga stood up. “I don’t understand. I have no intention of getting in between you-”_

_“I’m not going to Kanto for university,” Iwaizumi suddenly announced. “I’m aiming for Tohoku-U.”_

_“Oh,” Suga stopped approaching the other man. He still didn’t understand. “Tohoku-U is one of my top choices, too.”_

_Suga had always known that Iwaizumi had a fierce gaze; he’d seen it in court. But having it directed solely at him was completely different._

_“…I see,” Iwaizumi sighed as he looked down. And hunched even further. “I heard it from Oikawa, too, but I thought, since you were taking admission exams in Tokyo…”_

_“I’m still deciding,” Suga dropped himself back to his bed. His legs had lost all semblance of strength. “Um, Iwaizumi-san-”_

_“I’m still glad it’s you,” this time, the spiker’s gaze was earnest._

_“Why?” Suga was trying his best. He wanted to know where he could fit in, with this couple that already seemed complete, who didn’t appear to need him. Iwaizumi was sending him mixed signals. “How can I be supporting Oikawa-san where you haven’t already? He already has you-”_

_“He won’t, always, maybe,” Iwaizumi was deadly quiet._

_Suga felt a terrible chill going down his spine. “Iwaizumi-san,” he didn’t like where this was going. If there were trouble in paradise between them, Suga wanted no part of it-_

_“Sugawara-san, have you ever wondered, how would you be different, if you don't have a part of yourself you’ve grown up with?”_

_Suga frowned in puzzlement. “I-”_

_Then he thought of the words on his face. If he’d unconsciously become ‘Refreshing-kun’ to meet his soulmate._

_“I do,” he ended up saying._

_A minute passed with no words said._

_“Oikawa is competitive, prideful and ambitious. He always pushes himself too hard,” Iwaizumi buried his face in his hands. “Sugawara-san, I-”_

_“Thank you for your faith in me, Iwaizumi-san,” Suga placed his hands on Iwaizumi’s shoulders. “I will try my best. But it can’t be forced. Unless Oikawa-san allows me in like he has allowed you in, I don’t think it will do any good.”_

_Iwaizumi looked up. Surprisingly, he wasn’t angry like Suga thought he would be. Instead, he had a wobbly smile on his face. “Yeah, you’d be good for him.”_

TBC

Review please!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Tsukuba is actually located north of Tokyo (closer to Miyagi than Tokyo is to Miyagi), but I’m not sure if there were any cheap direct transport between Tsukuba and Sendai. Tsukuba express connects Tokyo to Tsukuba for about 600 yen, and the cheapest transport from Tokyo to Sendai is overnight bus (for 2,500-3,000 yen). I only know Willer Express, which often departs from Shinjuku. Shinkansen is expensive, I don’t know if universities in Tokyo all hold their admission exams around the same timing or not. If Suga has to travel to Tokyo repeatedly, he would want to save on transport.
> 
> 2\. Mika’s ability is based on Aida Riko from KNB.


End file.
